The Basil and Josephine Stories

By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Book Overview

Fourteen of F. Scott Fitzgerald's best-loved and most beguiling stories, together in a single volume
In 1928, while struggling with his novel Tender Is the Night, Fitzgerald began writing a series of stories about Basil Duke Lee, a fictionalized version of his younger self. Drawing on his childhood and adolescent experiences, Fitzgerald wrote nine tales that were published in the Saturday Evening Post about his life from the time he was an eleven-year-old boy living in Buffalo, New York, until he entered Princeton University in 1913. Then from 1930 to 1931, with Tender Is the Night still unfinished, Fitzgerald wrote five more stories (also published in the Post) that centered around Josephine Perry, Basil's female counterpart. Although Fitzgerald intended to combine the fourteen Basil Lee and Josephine Perry stories into a single work, he never succeeded in doing so in his lifetime. Here, The Basil and Josephine Stories brings together in one volume the complete set, resulting in one of Fitzgerald's most charming and evocative works.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684826186
• ISBN13: 9780684826189
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Collection of Classics

Originally published serially in "The Saturday Evening Post," Fitzgerald's "The Basil and Josephine Stories" was probably underappreciated in its time--the late 1920s. Fitzgerald's mastery of prose and storytelling shine, however, in this collection of short stories. The book is divided into two halves, the first dealing with Basil (a fictionalized version of Fitzgerald as a young man) and the second with Josephine (a fictional young woman in America in the early part of the 20th century). We follow Basil through the adventures and misadventures of his early life as he searches for acceptance and meaning. Josephine searches for love and friendship, among other things. Both meet with success that can only be described as questionable. Beautifully written and suprisingly deep, this collection offers profound insight into the psyche of the Lost Generation. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in modern American literature.

the best collection of short fiction yet

this charming collection of stories written by f. scott fitzgerald follows the physical, emotional, and social growth of two characters at the turn of the century. Basil, the typical rebellious child, struggles to find some understanding of life, school, friendship, and, most importantly, women. fitzgerald details a number of episodes in basil's life starting with his childhood and following him through his entrance into school. i don't know if basil ever entirely grew up or learned as much as he desired, but he came as close as any man can. the josephine stories follow roughly the same time span, but tend to focus more on her relationships and her place in society as a young woman at the turn of the century. all of the stories are masterfully told and it is obvious why fitzgerald became such a well known and respected writer. his storytelling is unparalleled and his descriptive language and imagery transports the reader to a different place and time. i highly recommend this book to any fitzgerald fan, whether an experienced one or a not-so-experienced one. i think it a shame that this book does not get more recognition than it does, recognition that it most definitely deserves.

Review

I really liked this book. And this isn't coming from some super-articulate adult. This is coming from a 14-year-old High School Freshman. It really shows you what life was like back then in the early 1910's, and how teens back then deal with the same stuff as we do, such as popularity, dating, cars, etc.

The Basil stories are tremendous, Josephine's are bland.

I found the Basil stories to be much better written than the Josephine stories. Basil's stories are fun and full of irony and satire. The reader sees definite growth in Basil. The Basil stories are excellent and worthy of great praise. As for Josephine's stories, I often found myself loosing interest in the stories. They tended to be bland, and I found it much more difficult to connect with Josephine than with Basil. The four star rating is largely based on the Basil stories, which account for about 2/3 of the book, and for the one Josephine story I really liked.

Yes!

Pure genius! Only Gatsby is better. Basil and Josephine are lyrical, magical; everything good that can be said about writing can be said about this book. It's great. Genius.